MUMBAI: After a hiatus of over half a decade, music maestro AR Rahman will be embarking on his massive stadium tour spanning across four cities between November and December this year that will be celebrate his 25 year journey. Adding an element of prestige, A. R. Rahman Encore- the concert which will kick-start in the City Of Pearls at Gachibowli Stadium on the 26th of this month will now be the official opening night for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit that will take place between the 28-30 November, 2017 at the Hyderabad International Convention Center.

The 8th edition of the annual summit which will highlight the theme Women First, Prosperity for All, and will focus on supporting women entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth globally will have the Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump headline the United States delegation to the Summit and the Hon’ble Prime Minister Of India, Shri Narendra Modi headline the India delegation to the Summit.

GES is the preeminent annual entrepreneurship gathering that convenes emerging entrepreneurs, investors and supporters from around the world. GES 2017 will create an environment that empowers innovators, particularly women, to take their ideas to the next level. Through two and a half days of networking, mentoring, and workshops, GES empowers entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, secure funding, innovate, and find their target customers -- creating new goods and services that will transform societies.

In the past The Oscar winning music composer has lent his support to women empowerment. The track Laadli scripted by Kapil Sibal and shot by Bejoy Nambiar, which marked Rahman’s reunion with Lata Mangehkar after seven years was a salute to the strength of a woman in 2014. His album Raunaq was dedicated to Vogue Empower while he teamed up with his sisters to produce Rasaayana Rojaakkal (Chemical Roses) whose theme is women’s empowerment under the banner of K. M. Musiq.

As per recent statements by Donald F Mulligan, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of the USA, Ivanka Trump would be exploring local culture and with this announcement, we feel there’s no better way to commence the process than with a night of eclectic enchantment by one of the world’s most revered musical sensations.

AR Rahman Encore- the concert will be a fully seated event and will be held at the most iconic stadiums in each city to enthral a combined audience of over 100,000 people. Hyderabad Talkies and Live Viacom18 in association with MTV and the official ticketing partner BookMyShow will present this magnificent spectacle encapsulating the musical excellence of two and a half decade journey of the music legend, bringing to life some of his most iconic melodies. The creative genius will be accompanied by singing sensations Jonita Gandhi, Mohit Chauhan, Javed Ali, Shaashaa Tirupati, Hriday Gattani, and Harshdeep Kaur on the tour.

BookMyShow Head- Live Events and IP Kunal Khambhati elaborates, "The concert celebrating 25 years of a legend is the first event in the series of initiatives planned for this year’s summit and it’s a matter of great pride. Hyderabad as a city is known for its excellent infrastructure and the concert will amplify this world class city’s offerings. I’d like to thank the Government of Telangana for its proactive role in kick-starting the GES with the concert and Shri K T Rama Rao, Minister of Municipal Administration and IT for his commendable support in making this event a reality.

The production for the show is high-tech and will feature a unique and one of a kind stage set up, complete with state of the art paraphernalia for a truly magical experience. The event will be among the biggest home grown musical acts witnessed in the recent times and we are determined to make it a phenomenal success.”

Adding on Hyderabad Talkies’ Sainath Malkapuram states, “We are expecting close to 30,000 fans for the concert and footfalls will not just be from Hyderabad alone but also from neighbouring places like Chennai, Bengaluru, Mysore, Kochi and Coimbatore as well. This concert will be a record breaker of sorts in the history of live events in Hyderabad.”

The tour is brought in association with Hyderabad Talkies in Hyderabad, White River Entertainment in Ahmedabad, Viacom18 in Mumbai and Maham in New Delhi.